I ask because if the trade off is quicker wear or lack of grip in good conditions then the problem will be shifted.

If the legal minimum tread wear stays the same and you have an old worn set of winters on but they are still legal would they offer more grip than say what we already get on a set of decent m+s? If the answer is no or the lack of grip in summer on a wet road is reduced then the accident rate will be higher in the summer than what it already is.

The best way way to solve the problem is like some European countries where you have to have two sets of wheels/tyres, 1 for summer 1 for winter but there is an obvious cost to that.

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Nice idea on paper but what is required in the depths of Scotland and what is required for dryer warmer regions is nothing like the same. For what it's worth we use all weather tyres on the car all year round.

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The problem with the UK is that our winters are generally mild. Winter in the highlands of Scotland are a lot worse than on the South Coast. It would be hard for the Government to push through a "though shall use winter tyres in winter" law. I can't see the Government pushing this legislation through.

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With all season I cannot see that there is any disadvantage. I think I'll get 45-50k out of mine on my van, and whereas my van was driving around on 2 inches of snow this morning like it wasn't there, the car (with the tyres that it came with, that are imminently due to be replaced and my all season are winging their way from Germany) couldn't really move. It took me 10 minutes of wiggling and sliding to get it up the (150m) drive to our house. The van just went straight up.

Given that they seem to wear the same, they grip well under normal conditions and don't cost any more, why wouldn't you want tyres that mean you can safely stop and change direction if there is snow or ice on the road? Even in the south of the UK there are times when that is the case, and they grip better at lower temperatures even if there isn't snow or ice.

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I understand your point, but I've honestly not noticed any issues with performance over summer and very little of the UK gets the kind of temperature that would cause issues.

Regarding wear, as I mentioned earlier, I should get 45-50k out of the van tyres. The car tyres are down at 2mm, and they have been on since it was new (16k miles ago). 16k out of a set of tyres costing £500 is not good economy.

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